Achieving positive behaviour

 

Policy statement.

   

The children will be encouraged to show respect for other people, their attitudes and the environment.

Every child will be encouraged and nurtured.

We recognise that children act according to their age and stage of development. Behaviour acceptable in a two-year-old could be unacceptable in an eight-year-old. The PWC Team are aware of the ages/ stages of development and use their knowledge and understanding of child development to manage the children's behaviour within the setting appropriately. They will also take into account the individual child's needs and abilities and work with the child and parents to support appropriate behaviour. A consistent approach is the key to successful behaviour management.

 

The PWC Team will not attribute any terms to a child that may result in that child being unnecessarily or inappropriately ‘labelled’ at a very young age.  We are fully aware that feedback regarding negative behaviour should always be delivered in a calm and controlled manner. Positive methods of guidance will be used at all times and will include redirection, anticipation and avoidance of potentially volatile situations, positive re-enforcement and praise.

 

Physical punishment is not an option, therefore reprimanding in the form of smacking, shaking or shouting or other methods, which may be regarded as humiliating, threatening or frightening will NEVER be used.

 

The PWC Team will speak to children calmly and gently yet being firm when required. The only circumstances where it may be acceptable and necessary for a member of the PWC Team to raise their voice would be as a warning to alert danger.

Any behaviour causing concern or of a consistent nature will be discussed with parent/guardian and appropriate strategies planned, ensuring a consistency of approach.

 

The PWC Team recognise that some children will, from time to time, display behaviour which may be classed as inappropriate, however, as a company we have taken the decision to avoid using the term ‘bullying’ in relation to children in our care.

Managing Behaviour

 

Young children may express their emotions such as frustration through their behaviour. This can be seen as unacceptable behaviour and may include temper tantrums, biting, scratching and throwing toys. One approach is to distract the child from the situation. This can be done by moving the child to another area, exchanging toys, engaging their attention in alternative activities, and sitting quietly with them to calm the child down.

Occasionally with an older child, it may be in the child’s best interests to step out of the room/area with the child to highlight the behaviour that is inappropriate and decide how the behaviour needs to change to be able to re-join the group. With older children it is important to define the cause of the unacceptable behaviour, their age and ability and any adult’s previous response to that behaviour. Very often the child’s understanding of what he is doing may be quite different from the adult’s perception of the same behaviour. It is important that all adults who come into contact with the child agree on the course of action to be taken when a child behaves in an unacceptable manner.

Course of action:

    * Identify the deliberately unacceptable behaviour.

    * Identify how to communicate with the child that the behaviour is not acceptable and explain the consequences of his/her action.

    * Identify why the behaviour needs to be discouraged.

    * Identify way of avoiding repetition of similar behaviour.

    * Give encouragement and praise when the child behaves appropriately. It may be appropriate to use star charts or something similar for younger children.

    * To be consistent and enforce clear limits of acceptable behaviour from the child: do not make unfair demands on the child.

    * Ensure that it is only the behaviour NOT the child that is being addressed. (It is the action of the child that is unkind not the child that is naughty).

    * Removal of the child from the situation to another area is designed to be a distraction and not a punishment. There should be no designated area to which remove the child.

    * The child must always be told why the behaviour is not acceptable and the reasons for the sanctions applied should also be given.

In the event a child is displaying unacceptable behaviour, more than once throughout the day, or they have hit another child, they will be placed on the “sad face” A4 White board with their name written in the column of a picture of a sad face.

With the sad face rule the child’s name will go on the sad face board and they will have three sad faces next to their name. The first face will be crossed out when they go on the board and they will be told that they will lose more faces if the behaviour continues. If the third face gets crossed out, then parents will be informed of the child’s behaviour throughout the day. When the child is placed on the sad face, they automatically lose their daily stamp, and this is explained to all the children.

Happy Face

Each day the children are given a stamp on their sticker chart at all of our Day-care Settings. If a child does something kind or are helpful throughout the day in the setting, their name can go on the “Happy face board”. If their name does go on the happy face board, they get another stamp on their sticker chart. Children can go on the chart more than once a day. Most important before the children are picked up the board is wiped clean to remove any names to protect the children and a clean start the next day.

 

Restraint

Restraint is a form of physical control which is the positive application of force with the intention of overpowering someone who may seem to be out of control in a manner which is considered to be a danger to themselves or to others.

Restraint can only be justified for the following reasons:

    > To remove trespassers (this must be reasonable force – enough to remove the unwanted person, and no more).

    > To prevent an accident or injury.

    > In self defence.

Assault is any physical contact with another person without their consent. It is a criminal act that may be prosecuted by the police or by the individual involved. The PWC Team must be aware that any form of physical punishment can be seen as an assault. Behaviour will never be modified by withholding food or by threatening to permanently remove or destroy an item personally belonging to a child.

PWC Team members should avoid over familiarity with children and must avoid situations where some children may be perceived as receiving preferential treatment and will demonstrate fairness to all children, and will respond in an appropriate manner with children who make excessive demands on their attention.

 

Bite Policy

Biting is a natural developmental stage that many children go through. It is usually a temporary condition that is most common between thirteen and twenty-four months of age. The safety of the children at the setting is our primary concern. The setting biting policy addresses the actions the staff will take if a biting incident occurs.  

Toddlers bite other toddlers for many different reasons. A child might be teething or overly tired and frustrated. He or she might be experimenting or trying to get the attention of the teacher or his peers. Toddlers have poor verbal skills and are impulsive without a lot of self-control. Sometimes biting occurs for no apparent reason. The center will encourage the children to "use their words" if they become angry or frustrated. The staff members will maintain a close and constant supervision of the children at all times.

 

The following steps will be taken if a biting incident occurs at our Settings:  

    * The biting will be interrupted with a firm "No…we don't bite people!"

    * Staff will stay calm and will not overreact.

    * The bitten child will be comforted. 

    * Staff will remove the biter from the situation. The biter will be given something to do that is satisfying.

    * The wound of the bitten child shall be assessed and cleansed with soap and water.  If it is determined that there was a blood exposure further steps need to be taken as outlined below:

"Procedure for Incidents involving Blood Exposure."

   > The parents of both children will be notified of the biting incident. Appropriate forms will be filled out (Incident Report). 

 Note: If a bite requires medical treatment, a copy of the incident report must be mailed to the licensing consultant within 7 calendar days. See Child Care Requirements Licensing Guidelines Section .0802 (d) EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE

    * Confidentiality of all children involved will be maintained.

    * The bitten area should continue to be observed by parents and staff for signs of infection.

 

 

Ref: 32a